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Eversafe Marine Relocates underground bunkers with airbags

admin:admin time:2016-06-03

Eversafe Marine was required by local government to relocate three underground bunkers. The biggest one of those bunkers measured by 10 m long , 8.7 m wide and 4 m high, weighs 650 tonnes . Other two bunkers are same, 8.7 m long by 6.7 m wide and 2 m high, weigh 350 tonnes.

Those bombproof shelters have strong structure strength, built with steel reinforced concrete, the minimum thickness of base plates reach 500 mm. They were buried 2 m deep under a vacant land. The government officers want to move those shelters southwest 60 m far from their original positions.

To transport a structure whole generally people need to raise the building first and then push it on temporary rails or dollies, the concrete works are inevitable in most occasions which is time and money consuming. Moving building or structure with airbags has low and less demands for the transporting paths and also it is convenient to move structure length ways or transversely by adjusting airbags’ arrangement. Anyway buildings feasible for moving with airbags must have strong structure strength because there will be vibrations during the moving process.

The civil works of the project include path paving,digging were completed by Hebei Academy of Building Research. The biggest underground bunker was raised first with hydraulic jacks. Then seven airbags were place underneath the bunker to replace jacks. One excavator and bulldozer were deployed to control the structure movement, bulldozer pushed the bunker to make it move forward and excavator would pull the wire ropes to brake while need to stop the structure.

It took two days to complete the first bunker relocation, 50 meters moving southwards. When the bombproof shelter reached its final position, blocks were placed first and then airbags were deflated to sit the shelter on blocks.

The second one need to move 20 m westwards then 30 m southwards. When the first 20 m west moving completed, blocks replaced airbags to support the bunker and then airbags were inserted again by 90 degree turning.

The paths for airbags to roll on are simply compacted natural ground, the flatness is not good. Eversafe engineers monitored the moving trajectory of underground bunkers constantly. Once found deviations, engineers will remedy them by adjusting airbags’ positions.

Eversafe Marine is the pioneer in the field of building moving with airbags, once completed one 3600 tonnes round base concrete statue on natural ground. Marine airbag transporting technology is cost effective comparing with regular ways such as trails, dollies,flat trucks, it saves more than 50% investment. Further more, this technology has minimum effect on environment, no pollution no waste which is very important in some situations.